What do you think?
Rate this book
The Unobservable Universe: A Paradox-Free Framework for Understanding the Universe
Were ancient Greek philosophers right about reality being only an illusion? What was really the biggest blunder of Einstein's life? Is everything we've been taught about the universe incorrect? In The Unobservable Universe, visionary scientist and engineer Scott M. Tyson successfully unravels cosmology from the level of rocket science and brings it down to Earth, demystifying the universe in terms that laymen can comprehend and enjoy, splitting atoms but not hairs on this magical mystery tour of the outback of time and space.
Tapping nearly three millennia of scientific philosophy and drawing upon his three decades as a prolific researcher, brilliant scientist and inspiring writer, Tyson artfully deconstructs key misunderstandings that modern science inadvertently continues to embrace − unraveling the inconsistencies and paradoxes emerging from contemporary science and science philosophy, dissecting complex principles and debunking long-held premises with illustrative examples to expose vital new insights. His provocative theories, supported with pragmatic anecdotes and symbolic metaphors, translate quantum physics into a master blueprint for all cosmology readers to examine, explore and contemplate.
Tyson effectively illustrates the meaning of perceptions in a way that will prompt scientists to fundamentally rethink preconceived notions and consider new possibilities. He guides readers in a bold, new direction that provides a coherent framework in which they can truly understand the universe and the underlying Theory of Everything. Informative and illuminating, this groundbreaking book's lively style provides an enlightening and entertaining page-turner, laced with a brilliant combination of compelling theory, solid research, simple analogy, contagious enthusiasm and enough humor to break a smile on the faces of even the most serious cosmologists. Tyson propels readers toward a new state of thinking, with a greater awareness and understanding of the mysteries of the universe that more accurately reflects its truths and realities. As a benchmark for cosmology, The Unobservable Universe will forever change the way we look at our world.
Tapping nearly three millennia of scientific philosophy and drawing upon his three decades as a prolific researcher, brilliant scientist and inspiring writer, Tyson artfully deconstructs key misunderstandings that modern science inadvertently continues to embrace − unraveling the inconsistencies and paradoxes emerging from contemporary science and science philosophy, dissecting complex principles and debunking long-held premises with illustrative examples to expose vital new insights. His provocative theories, supported with pragmatic anecdotes and symbolic metaphors, translate quantum physics into a master blueprint for all cosmology readers to examine, explore and contemplate.
Tyson effectively illustrates the meaning of perceptions in a way that will prompt scientists to fundamentally rethink preconceived notions and consider new possibilities. He guides readers in a bold, new direction that provides a coherent framework in which they can truly understand the universe and the underlying Theory of Everything. Informative and illuminating, this groundbreaking book's lively style provides an enlightening and entertaining page-turner, laced with a brilliant combination of compelling theory, solid research, simple analogy, contagious enthusiasm and enough humor to break a smile on the faces of even the most serious cosmologists. Tyson propels readers toward a new state of thinking, with a greater awareness and understanding of the mysteries of the universe that more accurately reflects its truths and realities. As a benchmark for cosmology, The Unobservable Universe will forever change the way we look at our world.
- GenresScience
332 pages, Paperback
First published April 16, 2011
1 person is currently reading
28 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 6, 2012
"Poorly read and written, but good overall"
I give it a 4 star rating in spite of it's poor writing and reading by the author. The author compensates for his speaking and writing by making the story as if he's having a personal conversation with the listener. The book reads as if it was mostly written in 3 weeks time and it was since he mentions that in the book! Hint to author, if you write most of a book in three weeks and it reads like you did, don't let the reader know.
His main purpose of the book is to talk about his new theory of the universe which he says explains the paradoxes floating around modern day physics, the measurement problem, the double slit experiment and entanglement (spooky action at a distance). He quotes from the Richard Feyman's presentation in "Characteristics of Physical Law" lecture series where he says all the mysteries of physics are contained in the double slit experiment. If you haven't yet watched all seven episodes of the Feynman presentation,or if you haven't heard (or read) multiple sections on the paradoxes floating around in physics from Brian Greene, or Sean Carroll or other good authors multiple times elsewhere this book is definitely not for you since he doesn't really explain them nearly as well as most other authors do.
I give the author Kudos for leading with his chin. He criticizes the current science but gives a consistent frame work for fixing the paradoxes. Anybody can give criticism, but offering a fix is not so easy. The summation of his theory is that instead of Newtons 3rd law we have for every action in the our universe (the observer universe) there's a reaction in the void universe such that their product equals 1. He says this will lead the Theory of Everything. Well, do it and than tell me about it.
Carl Sagan used this quote,
"What is called for is an exquisite balance between two conflicting needs: the most skeptical scrutiny of all hypotheses that are served up to us and at the same time a great openness to new ideas". I give the author credit for his new idea and he knows full well he's leading with his chin. I fault him greatly in his theory for only stating it, but offering no predictions of new phenomena deriving from it. Any body can state things and give consistency, but science requires predictive models.
This book is not for most readers and should only be bought by somebody who can get past the poor reading and poor writing and who is also bothered by the known paradoxes in physics and wants a possible explanation for them. By the way, David Deutsch's well written book "The Beginning of Infinity" offers such a theory inside his book and is much more entertaining.
(review based on Audible version).
I give it a 4 star rating in spite of it's poor writing and reading by the author. The author compensates for his speaking and writing by making the story as if he's having a personal conversation with the listener. The book reads as if it was mostly written in 3 weeks time and it was since he mentions that in the book! Hint to author, if you write most of a book in three weeks and it reads like you did, don't let the reader know.
His main purpose of the book is to talk about his new theory of the universe which he says explains the paradoxes floating around modern day physics, the measurement problem, the double slit experiment and entanglement (spooky action at a distance). He quotes from the Richard Feyman's presentation in "Characteristics of Physical Law" lecture series where he says all the mysteries of physics are contained in the double slit experiment. If you haven't yet watched all seven episodes of the Feynman presentation,or if you haven't heard (or read) multiple sections on the paradoxes floating around in physics from Brian Greene, or Sean Carroll or other good authors multiple times elsewhere this book is definitely not for you since he doesn't really explain them nearly as well as most other authors do.
I give the author Kudos for leading with his chin. He criticizes the current science but gives a consistent frame work for fixing the paradoxes. Anybody can give criticism, but offering a fix is not so easy. The summation of his theory is that instead of Newtons 3rd law we have for every action in the our universe (the observer universe) there's a reaction in the void universe such that their product equals 1. He says this will lead the Theory of Everything. Well, do it and than tell me about it.
Carl Sagan used this quote,
"What is called for is an exquisite balance between two conflicting needs: the most skeptical scrutiny of all hypotheses that are served up to us and at the same time a great openness to new ideas". I give the author credit for his new idea and he knows full well he's leading with his chin. I fault him greatly in his theory for only stating it, but offering no predictions of new phenomena deriving from it. Any body can state things and give consistency, but science requires predictive models.
This book is not for most readers and should only be bought by somebody who can get past the poor reading and poor writing and who is also bothered by the known paradoxes in physics and wants a possible explanation for them. By the way, David Deutsch's well written book "The Beginning of Infinity" offers such a theory inside his book and is much more entertaining.
(review based on Audible version).
Displaying 1 of 1 review